Wandavision - TV Review

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has come a long way. Over 10 years since Iron Man hit theaters and over 20 films after that and it's still going. It is the longest running major movie franchise out there and it's been one hell of a story. Super soldiers, space, gods, advanced technologies, and endless plots to take over or destroy Earth. These super heroes and villains are the mythological beings of modern times and they have brought so much joy to people all over the world. But one thing the MCU has lacked is mystery, something that doesn't give answers immediately while making us go, "... Wait, what did I just watch?" That is until Wandavision!

Wandavision is about Wanda Maximoff and Vision, both former Avengers and their life as a family in a 50s TV show. They're married, both keeping their powers a secret, and have jobs. Well Vision does and Wanda works around the house like a 50s house wife. But how is that possible though, they live in the present day right? You are right, things are not what they seem in the world of Wandavision. There are endless mysteries surrounding Wanda, Vision, and the world around them. As well as other forces gathering around them...

Streaming services like Netflix has brought about great change in television with what can be offered through streaming services. Years ago my mother was told about Stranger Things, started watching it, and told me how amazing it was. I gave it a watch too, loved it, and our family has been a part of Netflix ever since. But it has also caused some negative effects as well, such as releasing entire seasons all together. So many new shows on streaming services give no pause to let us think over what we've seen, no buildup to what's going to happen next. That's is why Wandavision feels like a breath of fresh air to me, because it releasing weekly is perfect for the mystery all throughout the show.

The ending of Avengers: Infinity War includes the death of Vision when Thanos forcibly removes the Mind Stone from his forehead. It's a horrifying moment made more sad when Wanda, who has formed a romantic relationship with Vision, gets snapped away by Thanos. She does return in Avengers: End Game, but Vision does not. So immediately the show makes people scratch their heads as to how Vision is alive again. Instantly we got a great mystery! How is this iconic character alive? What is this weird old-fashioned TV world? What is it like being married to a robot? And plenty more! Wandavision is a show that appears fun and comedy, but has a lot of dark undertones that hide a lot of grief, making this show a grand, emotional ride.

Now something I think some people are going to be bothered with is sitcom style of the show. Some people are not going to like that because it just feels odd and out of place. I get that, I really do. Me, I had a good laugh at all those periods of TV in Wandavision because I knew things were going to be deeper than what they appeared to be. They were also just humorous, I thought some of the silly situations like Vision getting gum stuck inside him and sticking his gears together to make him drunk was hilarious. However, on second viewing I can tell that some people fill find the humor throughout the show a little awkward and cringy. Still, I found them funny in their own ways and they often hint at deeper things throughout the show. Plus these comedic moments switch very fast to some dark, tense moments.

The style of Wandavision when it matches with these eras of sitcoms is very impressive on a technical level. Dick Van Dyke helped to craft some of the episodes set in the 1950s and 60s, with old fashioned comedy, effects, and stories. Objects appear to float in the air in a cheap-looking manner, everything is either black and white or technicolor/ over bright with colors, and of course the environments and the way people dress are very fitting in the time periods the show appears to be set in. While Wanda is pretty magical with her powers a lot of the world felt realistic with its environments and ascetics. Additionally, every intro of Wandavision is different to reflect the era of television each episode takes place in. We got the Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, and Malcom in the Middle to name a few.

Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany are fantastic in Wandavision. They're more lively, more emotional, and more engaging than in any film in the MCU. They have wonderful chemistry with one another and can make some of these weird, comedic moments really work! I loved how it felt like they were in a real relationship, with love, arguments, and some really touching moments. Their performances are just really damn good, possibly the best they've ever been been in the MCU. In fact there are a couple moments in the show that not only are very impressive and impacting for the MCU, but for all of television in general. The two work together to reveal a story riddled with grief, depression, anxiety, and acceptance/ a lack of acceptance, all of which hit really hard throughout the show.

Okay, here is a spoiler on the show since it's kind of obvious for some people, but not to others: Wanda has somehow created this TV world of Westview. Outside of it is the real world where Monica Rambeau (now played by Teyonah Parris), Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), and several other characters are trying to make sense of and resolve the issue of Westview and Wanda's control over the town and its people. There are hints about it through the first couple episodes of the show, but then we get a whole episode to really dive into everyone getting ready to try and study the phenomenon that Wanda has caused. Wanda has literally created her own TV show, as discovered by Darcy, and they and us, the audience, begin to believe that Wanda has somehow created this TV world to escape the pain that she's experienced in that past couple of years in the MCU.

My main issue with Wandavision though is when the MCU gets too into the show and removes the original elements that made Wandavision unique and entertaining. The main draw of the show was its mystery about Wanda and Vision and what is going on. After a certain point a majority of those vague questions are answered and we get a lot more action and "movie plot" that's very big and loud. That's kind of sad, but I get why they have to get the mystery wrapped up quicker than I was hoping because most TV viewers are not as patient as me and some of the other people I watched the show with. There even is a villain in the show, something I felt unnecessary because Wanda, we come to see, is kind of stuck in her grief and is viewed as a villain by most of the characters in the show. The writing on the show could be better if things elements of the MCU were stitched together better with this more mystery-oriented story.

Now one thing I will say for this show is that with the weekly releases there was a lot of downtime for people to come up with all sorts of theories. There were so many theories on the show of who was the main villain and what has going to happen. I even had a few of my own, but a majority of us theorizers were wrong and a lot of us were massively disappointed. Now I am not saying it's wrong to theorize on what's going to happen next, but don't go overboard or extensively into coming up with theories because the show will almost punish you for going above and beyond. I'll go into one particularly part of that show that had a big fan theory about it and that ended up really disappointing once I give my grade.

Saying that though the show has a great way of giving us hints at the story without having to be upfront. Every episode (except the finale) have a sort of fake commercial to them that either reference a past MCU film or hint at something coming up in the show or possibly in a future MCU film. All of these commercials relate to the era that Wanda's show is in as well, from watches to depression medicine. Some of them are pretty funny while others look fun or funny on the surface before expertly turning really dark. There is one particular one about yogurt that just really makes my skin crawl. There are also great hints throughout the show of how tortured the people of Westview are of Wanda and her control over them.

Wandavision is Marvel's first TV show directly relating to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it's a great step they've taken! It did suffer in its later episodes when more action and MCU vibes were added in, but the show kept me interested the whole time I was watching. I was eager to know what was going on with Wanda, if Vision was just a figment of her imagination, and how the hell she could have- Oh wait I can't say. Spoilers and all that. Now that the show is fully out people can fully binge it and it's not that long of a show so you can probably finish it all in a day. Either ways, Wandavision is worth watching and has some great elements to it that make it unique for a superhero-themed TV show.

Tentative Score: 8/10

Definitive Score: 7.75/10

Okay, now for the big spoiler I was talking about down below because I really need to talk about it:

Evan Peters joins the show as Pietro Maximoff, which cause a lot of people to speculate that the Fox X-men movies were now suddenly tied in with MCU since Evan Peters plays Quicksilver in ththose films. It's a very exciting idea and something that could have changed a lot of the MCU. But then in the final episode we learn that it's not really Pietro, but actually a guy named Ralph Bohner. I'm not joking, that's his apparent real name. And that is the stupidest thing I have possibly ever seen in a TV show because why cast the actor of a big character to play the exact character in alternate universe, but then change it so they have a stupid name at the last second? It's insulting, disgusting, and makes us all look like idiots in a negative way. Most other fan theories I've seen on Wandavision didn't have a strong weight to them, but this was one of the few that did and... We got a boner joke.